Combination stabilizer, recoil break, flash hider, and grenade launcher for a firearm



April 28, 1959 E M HARVEY 2,883,781 COMBINATION STABILIZER, RECOIL BREAK, FLASH RIDER, AND GRENADE LAUNOHER FOR A FIREARM Eig-1- Filed Oct. 23, 1957 INVENTOR. Earle M Hmrvey United States Patent O COMBINATION STABHJIZER, RECOIL BREAK, FLASH HIDER, AND GRENADE LAUNCHER FOR A FIREARM Earle M. Harvey, Agawam, Mass., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application October 23, 1957, Serial No. 692,014

1 Claim. (Cl. 42-1) (Granted under Title 35, U.S. 'Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to rearms and more particularly to a device attachable to the muzzle of a firearm barrel for modifying undesirable effects produced when the lirearm is discharged and for launching grenades therefrom.

The principal object of this invention is to provide for firearms a device which suppresses the ash, reduces the recoil, stabilizes the barrels when the rearms are actuated, and is adapted also for launching grenades without any exchange of parts.

It is lanother object of this invention to provide such a device wherein the gases which are bled angularly from the barrel to reduce the recoil forces and compensate for barrel climb may be blocked off when the device is used to launch a grenade so that the entire gas pressure at the muzzle of the firearm may act against the grenade for the propulsion thereof to the maximum distance.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a device whereby the flash suppressor comprises forwardly extending bars which also provide a sliding support for the grenade on the firearm barrel and assist in controlling the directional flight of the grenade while being launched.

It is a still further object of this invention is to provide a device such as described which is simple and rugged in construction, easy to manufacture, and positive in operation.

The specific nature of the invention as Well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top, cross-sectional View of the muzzle end of a iirearm barrel with the device of this invention mounted thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a grenade mounted on the device which is adjusted for launching the grenade;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced, exploded view of the device shown in perspective.

Shown in the figures is a firearm barrel 12 provided with a threaded portion 14 on the muzzle end for threadably mounting the device of this invention which, as hereinafter described, functions as a flash suppressor, a recoil check, a barrel stabilizer, and a grenade launcher.

Such device includes a sleeve 16, which is threadably mounted at the rear end to threaded portion 14, and a cone 18. A plurality of ports 20 are provided through the walls of that portion of sleeve 16 which extends forwardly from the muzzle of barrel 12, and such ports are arranged in longitudinal rows which are so circumferentially spaced that more gases may be exhausted to the atmosphere from the top half of the sleeve, respective to the normal operating position of the firearm, than from the lower half.

c 2,883,781I ce Patented Apr.128,..1959

Cone 18 includes a cylindrical base '22 which isfrotatably received within sleeve 16 so as to ,abut the muzzle end of barrel 12 and is provided therethrough with an axial hole 24 having a diameter larger 'than the bore `of barrel 12. A plurality of apertures 28 corresponding to the number of ports 20 extend through hase 22 from yhole 24 and such apertures are arranged in a pattern similar to 'that of the ports but are offset longitudinally 'therefrom as is best shown in Fig. 1. Elongated channels A26 in base 22 provide intercommunication between the outer orifices of the apertures 28 in each of the longitudinal rows thereof.

Five bars 30 extend forwardly from base 22 and are annui-arly spaced according to conventional design for suppressing the muzzle Hash produced through Ydischarge of the rearm. However, according to the present del vice, the outside surfaces of the bars 30 are stepped' so that the rear portions, noted at 32, are ilush with the outside surface of base 22 so as to be rotatably received within sleeve 16, and the outside areas of the forward portions, noted at 34, have a radius similar to that of the outside surface of sleeve 16 so as to form forward extensions thereof. The outside surfaces of sleeve 16 and the bars 30 are smoothly finished and are dimensioned so as to be slidingly received within the cylindrical launching mount of a grenade 35 so that the bars assist in controlling the directional flight of the grenade that is to be launched.

A snap ring 36 cooperates with suitable grooves in the outside of cone 18 and the inside of sleeve 16 to rotatably secure such cone to the sleeve. Radially mounted in base 22 is a spring-biased plunger 42 which is arranged to be selectively received in one of two annularly-disposed recesses 38 provided in the inside of sleeve 16 whereby cone 18 is selectively and releasably secured in a stabilizing or launching position. An annular channel 40 extends between the recesses 38 to facilitate the rotation of cone 18 between the stabilizing and launching positions. The ports 20 and apertures 28 are so arranged that when cone 18 is in the stabilizing position, such ports and apertures are in communication but, when in the launching position, the apertures are blocked by the registry of the channels 26 with inside surface of sleeve 16 between the rows of the ports.

Thus, when a firearm is actuated with the device of this invention attached to the muzzle thereof, a considerable amount of the gases resultingfrom the discharge are passed through the ports 2l) and apertures 28 and discharged to the atmosphere. Consequently, the amount of gases which are expelled forwardly from the iirearm and are largely instrumental in producing the forces eifecting recoil of the firearm are reduced. Further, the axes of the ports 20 are disposed angularly to the longitudinal axis of barrel 12, preferably at and thereby the forward propulsion of the gases in barrel 12 strikes against the front semicylindrical portions of the ports 20 to produce forces which counteract in part the remaining recoil forces.

Furthermore, as hereinbefore explained, there is a suiliciently greater amount of gases `bled from the upper side of the device to compensate for the forces which cause the muzzle of the barrel to climb during operation of the rearm. The pressure required to compensate for barrel climb will, of course, determine the arrangement of the apertures 28 and, consequently, the ports 20.

When a grenade is to be launched from the firearm, the operator need only to grasp the protruding portions of the bars 30, which normally act to suppress the ash produced during firearm operation, and turn the same to rotate cone 18 to the launching position. With cone 18 in the launching position, the apertures 28 are blocked therethroughand thereby the entire pressure ofthe gases at the muzzle of barrel 12 is actuatable against the grenade. Because the outside areas of bars 30 are forward extensions of the outside surface of sleeve 16, the grenade may lbe mounted to theV rearm for launching without any further adjustment or exchange of parts as is necessary when grenades are launched from ,firearms` by conventional means, and such bars assist in slidably supportingthe grenade during the launching thereof.

' Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and rscope thereof and the following claimis intended to include such. variations.

An attachment forthe barrel of firearms including a sleeve attachable to the muzzle of the barrel, a cone receivable within said sleeve for rotation between a stabilizing and a launchingfposition,A a plurality of ports in said sleeve having communication with apertures in said cone for bleeding gases from the barrel angularly to the longitudinal axis thereof, said ports and apertures being arranged to expel gases fromthe barrel to the atmos- V aeeeyr'si 'l ph'ere so as tocounteract the forces tending to swing the muzzle of the barrel upwardly during operation of the firearm, semicyclindrical portions of the walls forming said apertures disposed in the path of the gases expelled forwardly from the barrel for counteracting in part the recoil forces produced during actuation of the rearm, bar portions extending forwardly from said cone for projection from said sleeve to suppress muzzle flash, and cylindrical outside surfaces on said bar portions having the same radius as said sleeve to form forward extensions thereof so as to cooperate therewith in providing mounting means for launching a grenade from the rearm.

References Cited in the le of this patent Weiss Nov. 20, 1956 

